Thom Andersen is a filmmaker and critic whose works include Reconversion (2012), Red Hollywood (1996), and Eadweard Muybridge, Zoopraxographer (1974). His work was also featured in the 2012 Whitney Biennial. He currently teaches at the California Institute of the Arts.

Andersen is most famous for his film Los Angeles Plays Itself, which has gathered a cult following in recent years. He was at Union Station in downtown Los Angeles last Friday for a screening of the film, a look at portrayals of Los Angeles in films throughout history. Andersen’s in-depth, biting analysis exposes how visions of L.A. were constructed by Hollywood writers, directors, and movie studios, but also how Los Angeles came to embody these filmic simulacra over time, as the world came to consider Hollywood film studios and the City of Los Angeles as codeterminant places and cultures.

The film is arguably one of the best movies ever made about Los Angeles. You can view a trailer below: